Former LOCOG Chair Sebastian Coe has been elected as the new British Olympic Association Chair, winning unopposed to succeed Colin Moyniham, according to Josh Burrows of the LONDON TIMES. Coe was elected at a British Olympic sports meeting in London, and will "take on overall responsibility for selecting and overseeing Team GB" in its preparations for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi and the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro (LONDON TIMES, 11/7). In London, Jacquelin Magnay reported that PM David Cameron said that "there was no better choice" to lead the BOA than Coe. Cameron said: "Combined with his role as the government's legacy ambassador, Seb will play a crucial part in maximising the benefits from London 2012, helping our athletes achieve gold in Rio and British businesses win new trade and investment deals." IOC President Jacques Rogge said, "I congratulate the BOA for picking a winner." Coe was "honoured and flattered" following his election, and offered an early glimpse into his objectives in his new role. Coe: "This is not an organisation that delivers elite athletes. That's the job of governing bodies" (TELEGRAPH, 11/7).
CRACKDOWN ON DRUGS: In London, Owen Gibson reported Coe has said that he will continue the BOA's "push for tougher penalties for drug cheats." Coe: "You know where I come from over drugs. I've been battling that for as long as I've effectively been a competitor. We will need to think about how we adapt to that landscape. I will chair an organisation that will always take a zero tolerance approach to drug abuse in sport, but we have to recognise that we are in a much more complex and complicated legal landscape than we were 30 years ago" (GUARDIAN, 11/7). Also in London, Ashling O'Connor reported that Coe was "cautious about going as far as Australia," which has proposed asking its Olympic athletes, coaches and officials to sign a sworn declaration that they have never doped in their careers. If they lie under oath, "they face up to seven years in jail." Coe: “We have to be very careful about how you ask athletes to sign anything.” Coe said he had “thought long and hard” about putting his name forward for the chairmanship, an unpaid voluntary job. The BOA has had "fractious relationships with other sports organisations" including LOCOG (LONDON TIMES, 11/7).
